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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Buttonholes, Earthquakes, Etc.

Wow, thanks for all the great buttonhole feedback, everyone! It really helped me figure stuff out. Here's what I'm thinking: I wish I lived in a dream world where I made perfect handworked buttonholes and had time to make a perfect sample to photograph for the book. Alas, that is not so. I'm not really happy with the quality of my handworked buttonholes yet, so I think I will continue to work on them and probably blog about it in the future. It just doesn't make sense to include something I don't use in my sewing life at this point. I liked elizabethdee's comment a lot: "I vote for you to be Gertie, and not to demo a technique if you don't do it readily or easily yourself." Wise words.

In other news, the shoot was disrupted by an earthquake yesterday! We're in an old building in the East Village which didn't take well to the shaking. We New Yorkers don't expect such things so it was met with quite a bit of panic. I wish I could say I was calm in the situation, but readers: I freaked the hell out. I apparently get very swept up in any sort of hysteria, and there was a lot of it in the street yesterday. (Also, I was the assistant editor on a post-apocalyptic novel called The Dead and The Gonewhich scarred me for life.) But all is well and life is back to semi-normal.

I hope all is well with you, readers. This weird little image-less post is just my attempt to keep in touch while life is nutty! I look forward to returning to regular sewing blogging very soon.

As a California native, I have a very skewed perception of earthquakes, driven by regular earthquake drills in my early years -- Yeah! time for a break from school.

Having lived through a few where people died, my gung-ho reaction has been dimmed somewhat, but not to the extent that I'm not glad your shaking wasn't worse (I'm not sure if you know this, but the East Coast has a geologic record of much worse shakes than have ever occurred in California!). I'm also glad you weren't hurt!

On a happier note, even though I voted that hand-made buttonholes are a couture touch, I'm glad you came down on the side of doing what makes you comfortable.

I hope your OK emotionally. I have been lucky enough to only have to deal with one earthquake and it wasn't bad. My partner cried and shook and it took months for her to feel ok again so I feel for anyone who is scared of any natural disaster no matter what size. Thanks for keeping us updated in this difficult time. I like knowing your OK.

I think it really depended on where you were in NY. I was walking past a construction site in the Garment District at the time and didn't notice a thing - I thought it was normal construction reverb. It wasn't until family started calling/texting that I realized that something had happened.

Oh man, the night I finished the third book in The Dead and the Gone trilogy a 3.9 earthquake hit. I mean it wasn't even 20 minutes later. Cue my brain thinking of stockpiling canned goods and dog food until I realized even if I stored them in my house, I probably wouldn't be able to access them in an earthquake. Then it hit me that my biggest risk was a tornado and I could store it all in the basement. Thankfully I told myself to give it a month and just to create a small survival kit. After a month the kit was all I needed to feel safe but this new earthquake has me thinking again. Susan Beth Pfeffer can really instill a sense of fear into you!

Gertie, so glad no one was hurt. I live in West Texas and have experienced a significant earthquake here a long while back. Scary experience. Love your blog posts and your articles on the Burda website. Looking forward to your book. Only go as far as you are comfortable with the button hole thing. From a piano playing sewist in Texas.Cheryl Lemmons

As another Californian, I, too, have a skewed view on earthquakes having lived through many. Interestingly, my daughter is a native CA girl who has also lived through several. However, she has a completely opposite reaction to mine. In fact, she won't put anything on the very top of her bookcase where it can't be contained because it might roll downwards and, as she says, "fall down and kill me." I think she's smart for taking such safe precautions.

Earthquakes aren't my main fear -- it's fires. Here in Santa Barbara we've lived through way too many. We were on standby to leave and ready to evacuate because the fire was less than 1/4 mile from our house. Fortunately, the winds changed and kept us safe.

We all fear some form of natural disaster (such as tornados or hurricanes), and it's really not something any of us wish to experience. Glad everything is fine in your neck of the world.

Growing up on the San Andreas Fault Line in CA, I'm quite used to earthquakes. We Southern Californians don't get out of bed for less than a 6.0. But seriously, I'd take an earthquake over a blizzard / tornado / hurricane any day. At least we don't have earthquake seasons!

You are all so brave dealing with earthquakes, even just little ones. The worst we get is the Edinburgh castle gun and fireworks during the Festival Tattoo. The windows shake, and the seagulls go mad, but that's about it! (Very windy in Edinburgh I guess, but not tornado style.)

Wow! Was in NYC at the time for the earthquake, but didn't feel it. Woke up at 8am, so if it was before that I probably just slept through it. I'm from Sweden, so I have never gone through an earthquake before. Would actually have been a bit exciting to have felt the earth shake a bit :)

That was my first earthquake and I didn't handle with the calm aplomb I would hope for and now we're getting a hurricane this weekend. Maybe the earthquake was a warning to us all here on the East coast? I adore your blog, by the way, I've been lurking for a while and finally decided to click through and leave a comment.

Yes, I live in the Northeast too, and earthquakes just don't happen here - until yesterday. I didn't experience it personally (I was driving home from work at the time), but a lot of people I know did. That's just too weird!!! It's OK if you freaked out, Gertie, I'm sure I would have too!

Hope all is going well with your photo shoots. I think you made the right call about the buttonholes, too.

My first earthquake too, here in Norfolk, VA. It was a strange sensation that the floor was rolling beneath us, like being in a boat in waves. I freaked too! So, we've had swamp fires ongoing for weeks (code PURPLE on the air quality today), an earthquake, and on Saturday we'll have a hurricane. Awaiting the arrival of locusts any day now...

Check out some fashion weirdness: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664834/iris-van-herpen-the-alexander-mcqueen-of-tech-geeks

And you should never be blase about earthquakes, I think--they lead to things like tsunamis, power outages, power stations frying themselves, and more things that while you may not experience them, do require caution and prep.Hope you are more relaxed now and there is more fun and less stress in your future!

I liked that series! I read all three books. Now I feel cool by association. "I cyber-know this gal who's a really great seamstress who also edited a best selling book."

As for the earthquake - sorry it's unnerving. I don't know what to say other than that I've lived through three hurricanes. After the first, my community became much more educated and prepared to handle another. Then the subsequent hurricanes were much less scary and devestating. Good luck with it all!

I live and work about 30 miles from the epicenter of Tuesday's earthquake. Boy! was that an eye opener! We've had little quakes that made the water in cups shake like a Jurassic Park dinosaur was on it's way, but never anything like that. The high school that was nearby the epicenter isn't structurally sound anymore. Crazy stuff! And now a hurricane!!

I found your blog via Google, and I'm so glad I did. I just got a vintage sewing machine and I so want to start using it. But I have no idea where to start. Hopefully your blog will start me off right...right!?

I love your blog and your joy of retro treasure is right up my alley. I'm new to the blog game and my blog isn't nearly as lovely or full or talent as yours is but you can see it at http://livewellandbehappy.blogspot.com/ perhaps you may have a tip or enjoy my retro treasures I have photos of. Either way, best to you in all you do! ~Teresa Caine

Your title got me in here and your blog kept me here. I think we were given some attachments for a really good reason; buttonholer being a really good reason! Getting the stiches even and keeping the fabric flat is difficult and I really don't think customers care which way it is done as long as it lasts. I'm in VA and was in my car when the earthquake hit. Very weird feeling; would prefer not to feel another one!!

As an LA native, at first I dismissed the East Coasters panic as over-reaction, until it occurred to me that since you don't have earthquakes, it might have seemed like 9/11 all over again, since it's hard to distinguish between an earthquake and a plane striking a building. So I apologize. And I hope that the last earthquake you get over there.